1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to an apparatus which is a combination corrosion inhibitor and corrosion indicator. More particularly, the disclosure generally relates to a corrosion inhibition apparatus including an indicator which notifies when a sacrificial anode requires replacement and facilitates rapid replacement of expiring components.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
In complex systems where sea water or other electrolytically active fluids come in common contact with components of a metal system, electrolytic corrosion can become a root cause of component failure in all metal components including, but not limited to heat exchangers, engines, generators, pumps, piping, and other connected apparatus. The corrosion of any component can result in structural failure, subsequent leakage of system components, and or contamination between the fluids and may cause component and or system failure.
The source of corrosion may be a result of the electrochemical oxidation of metals reacting with an oxidant or fluid. Aqueous corrosion may result from an electrochemical reaction associated with differences in electrical potentials of two different, electrically connected metals which share contact with a common aqueous fluid. The two different metals may be referred to as an active metal and a noble metal. Ions of noble metals are more strongly bound to a surface of the noble metal than the ions of active metals. Given two or more metallic components all connected to each other and an aqueous solution the least noble metal will experience corrosion first. Examples of aqueous media, also referred to generally as electrolytes, may include, but are not limited to, solutions of salt water, acids, bases, or salts, certain gases at high temperatures, molten salts, or combinations thereof.
The corrosion avoidance strategy of suppling a sacrificial, less noble metal is often used to protect the more noble components in a system which interacts with electrolytically active fluids. The strategy only works if there is less noble, non-critical, active metal available to give up its electrons and is in continuous electrical contact with the system requiring protection. Once the sacrificial anode is exhausted the normal system components begin electrolytic corrosion at a comparatively accelerated rate on the next least noble components.
It is common practice to attach an active metal as a sacrificial anode to a more noble metal to reduce or eliminate electrolytic corrosion of a system comprising of numerous metal components. Continuous metallic contact and timely replacement of a depleted sacrificial anode is essential to the effectiveness of the sacrificial anode corrosion reduction strategy. The rate of electrolytic corrosion varies widely based on the conditions of the aqueous solution, proper grounding and the surrounding metallic structures. Failure to properly monitor the corrosion rate of the sacrificial anodes, replacing them prior to exhaustion can result in premature corrosion of the affected components and or system.
A corrosion inhibitor device or apparatus of that would facilitate visual monitoring of the sacrificial anode whether the system is dormant or operational and would allow for easy replacement of the sacrificial anode if visually determined to be necessary and would be beneficial to the sacrificial anode corrosion strategy.